The Federal Government has decided to cancel its customary annual Hari Raya open house at Seri Perdana this year as a sign of respect for the victims of downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 and their families.
The decision was revealed by Sabah’s Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who tweeted that the open house event was cancelled after a Cabinet meeting yesterday:
(Translation: “The Cabinet meeting has decided to cancel the Prime Minister’s Open House on the first day of Hari Raya as a sign of mourning for the MH17 tragedy.”)
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is similarly postponing his own official open house event, scheduled to be held at Pagoh’s Sri Pekembar Complex on the second day of Raya.
This follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s statement that it would not be likely that the bodies of the Malaysian victims of Flight MH17’s crash could be returned home by Hari Raya. In fact, he now estimates it would take “weeks or months” before the victims’ remains could be sent back to Malaysia, due to ongoing forensic investigations being undertaken in the Netherlands.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crashed over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, July 17, while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. US officials have said the jetliner was shot down by pro-Russia separatist rebels in the area.
Flight MH17 had 298 people on board, 43 of whom were Malaysian citizens. 193 people onboard were Dutch. No one is believed to have survived the crash.
See Also:
PM Najib wants bodies of MH17 victims home before Hari Raya
MH17: Separatist rebels finally hand over black boxes to Malaysian investigators
Video: First group of MH17 bodies arrive in the Netherlands, given full honours
Putrajaya to set aside special burial ground for Muslim MH17 victims
PM Najib: “weeks or months” before Malaysian MH17 bodies can come home
